Friendsgiving Twenty Seventeen

Okay okay, I know this is late, as in Thanksgiving is officially donezo and my Christmas obsession is now socially acceptable. I had plans to post this last Monday, but I had way less work this week because of the holiday, which meant sleeping in and taking a break. Unfortunately that also meant that blog/creative stuff took a backseat as well, but also sorry not sorry cause I was starting to feel a bit of burnout coming on. Instead of throwing out the entire post (that I have been very excited for btw) I thought I'd just post it late. Cause better late then never. So...let's go :)

For a couple years now I've wanted to host a Friendsgiving dinner. I love good food...I love gorgeously decorated tables...I love my friends...and Friendsgiving is basically a perfect mix of all three. I also looove the Holidays, so in short, Friendsgiving is an extremely Kate thing. I figured that this season of my life is the most ideal time; working full time (so I have enough money to actually pull it off)  and no school stress. So last week I hosted Friendsgiving dinner.

In Kate fashion, I wanted to go big or go home. And by big, I mean everything had to be *perfect.*  So perfect, I even attempted to make my own fabric napkins. That lasted about ten minutes before I gave up...ain't nobody got time for that. In all honesty, I'm glad I did because the next day I fell in love with a set I saw at World Market (aka the best store ever, second only to Target.) Bonus: There was a matching table runner. You know you're growing up when you get excited about table linens...yet here we are. 

I started planning by scouring Pintrest in search of some yummy recipes. Traditional Friendsgiving involves Turkey and stuffing, but I knew that would be too much for me to handle, so I went with a baked chicken (because it looks like a mini turkey so we still get the effect, amirite?) and mashed potatoes. For drinks I bought the boys some root beer, and for us girls I got two different kinds of sparkling juice...man am I a sucker for cool drinks. I also made some yummy appetizers and a cake for dessert. Simple, festive, and delicious :) 

Now on to the table. As I said, I found some adorable linens at World Market. I got eucalyptus bunches and some festive red berries at Trader Joe's for pretty cheap, and pillar candles on Amazon. The taper candles and sticks are from my mom's stash, as are all the dishes and utensils. Once again, I grabbed some ideas off Pintrest (let's be honest, that's where most of my ideas come from) and set up this super chic, minimalist tablescape. Much pleased, very happy.

The day of, I did all the cooking, cleaning, and setting up in what I like to call "The Domestic Hurricane." My mom was such a help with getting everything done. Moms the the best. Thanks mom :)

I mean I have to include a couple pic cause he's just so dang cute. 

Here are links to the recipes I used--super delish. The mashed potatoes were a H I T . 

Appetizers: Baked Brie with Peach and Basil // Cranberry Barbecue Meatballs

Dinner: Lemon Rosemary Chicken // Parmesan Mashed Potatoes // Pear & Feta Salad

Dessert: Buttermilk Spice Cake

After dinner we sat down to watch It's A Wonderful Life, which was basically one or two people actually trying to pay attention and the rest of us making dumb comments. I had plans to take a lot more pictures, but I was so busy prepping beforehand and then once everyone arrived I really wanted to BE in the moment, which meant a lack of photos. But I'm okay with that...Basically it was awesome and I can't wait for next year.

Now on to CHRISTMAS.

Easter Egg Nest Treats

Easter Egg Nest Treats

{Ingredients}
1/2 cup Chocolate Chips
1/2 cup Peanut Butter (you could probably substitute any nut butter)
2 packages Shredded Wheat
1 package Robin Eggs Candy (jelly beans, m&ms, any kind of candy would work)

{Instructions}
heat chocolate and peanut butter in microwave until melted. You could also do it on the stove, but microwave is faster!

Crush up the wheat while it's still in the package, and add to chocolate. Stir or mix it up with your hands. This is the part where i eat half the bowl before it even makes it to the baking tray...

Take a nice sized handful onto the baking sheet. Smooth the edges into a disk shape, and then make a little well in the center...basically, form it into a nest shape. Lol.  Add three candies to the center and pop in the fridge until set.

Enjoy the peanut buttery/chocolatey goodness! I remember having these growing up, and They're still my favorite to this day :)

Smoothie Bowls

{Berry Smoothie Bowls}

{Smoothie}
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1/2 cup Greens (I like spinach!)
1/2 cup Yogurt (Sometimes my mom uses nut butter instead)
1 tbsp Chia Seeds (optional, if you like a little more texture)
1 tbsp Shredded Coconut (again, optional)
1 Banana
2/3 cup Frozen Fruit (I used blueberries)

{Toppings}
Fresh Fruit (My fave is berries + bananas)
Granola
Shredded Coconut
Nuts
Honey or Agave

{Instructions}
Dump all your ingredients in your blender--but make sure your frozen stuff is added last (that way your blender doesn't make that awful grinding noise!)

I have a Blendtech, so all I do is press the smoothie button and presto! If you don't have a magic button, I'd say a minute or two is long enough.

pour into a bowl and go to town with your toppings! This time around I did some raspberries, blackberries, homemade granola, and shredded coconut.

Enjoy your treat on the porch with a nice book. Or sit in your bed watching Netflix like I did. Hehe.

yummy fruit infused water

in an attempt to live a healthier lifestyle, i've decided to make a few simple but important changes to my lifestyle--one of which is drinking more water. lots of people have trouble drinking tons of water straight up, which is where fruit infused water comes in! it adds just enough water create variety, while adding extra health benefits.  i love straight up water so i don't have this problem, but i thought i'd give it a go. i made three flavors: lemon raspberry, strawberry mint, and citrus (orange, lemon + lime.)

if you're interested in making your own flavored water, here's how i did it:

-8 oz. water
-1/4 to 1/2 cup of fruit (depends on how much flavor you want)

let your fruit water sit in the fridge and "steep" for anywhere from 4 to 24 hours for best results. as for fruit combos, check pintrest--there's some really delicious ideas over there! my favorite is strawberry and mint. there's just enough sweetness from the strawberries, paired with the refreshing mint...delicious. go crazy and try a bunch of different combos until you find some that you like!

until next time!
xoxo kate